"C." wrote in message
...
Is it common for boats to have water in the bilge area almost all the
time? I mean, you turn on the bilge pump and pump it out, then a few hours
later you look and there's some water down there again...

Should it be bone dry? Or is it more often than not a fact that some
water will end up sitting there?




Is it a wood or fiberglass boat? A wood boat will normally have some water
intrusion.

Inboard, outboard or I/O? As others have said, the water intrusion may be
from the packing (inboard) or from some drain cocks on the engine.

Does the boat have a hot water tank? If so, you may have a bad relief valve
on the tank.

Are you connected to a dockside water supply when the water intrusion
occurs? Perhaps a bad fitting or connection.

Do you have AC and is the water accumulating in the bilge when the AC runs?
Perhaps a bad hose fitting on the raw water cooling pump or the ac drainage
is plugged and overflowing into the bilge.

One cannot answer your question without knowing these facts.